Fluorescent lamps are used throughout the world as a popular choice for lighting. In many situations, fluorescent lamps benefit consumers with lower power consumption as compared to alternatives such as incandescent lighting. This factor reduces operating costs and can be beneficial for environmental preservation. Other alternatives, such as solid-state lighting, generally have a higher cost of manufacture and initial implementation. Until costs are significantly reduced for those alternatives, which is expected to take a number of technology generations (several decades), fluorescent lighting will continue to be the primary choice for many widespread lighting applications.
Fluorescent lamp technology enjoys a long history of innovations that have reduced manufacturing costs and operating costs. Nonetheless, further cost reductions can be beneficial. For example, it would be helpful to have technologies that can reduce the long-term operating cost of lighting devices.